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As it turns out, in addition to owning the best skill package of any defenseman available for the 2013 NHL draft, American Seth Jones is also a quality judge of hockey talent.

He raised eyebrows, particularly in Canada, when he said before the World Junior Championships that the Americans had the best team. But Jones was proven right Saturday when Florida Panthers draft pick Rocco Grimaldi scored a pair of goals and John Gibson turned in another stingy goaltending performance to pace the USA to a 3-1 win against Sweden in the gold medal game in Ufa, Russia.

Canada's Jonathan Huberdeau, left, celebrates his first-period goal with teammate Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Edmonton's Nugent-Hopkins had a goal and three assists in the game to give him 15 points in the tournament. He was named the WJC's top forward.
Nathan Denette, AP

Canada captain Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, right, hangs his head with teammates after being defeated by Team USA. Canada had hoped to win its first gold since 2009 but will play instead for bronze.
Nathan Denette, AP

Swedish goalie Niklas Lundstrom is mobbed after he stops Russian quarterfinals hero Nikita Kucherov on the final shootout attempt. Sweden will face the USA on Saturday and try to make it two titles in a row.
Nathan Denette, AP

Czech Republic's goalie Patrik Bartosak lets a goal in by Team USA's Johnny Gaudreau (not seen) during the second period. Bartosak was pulled from the game after giving up a Ryan Hartman goal less than a minute later.
Mark Blinch, AP

Russia forward Nikita Kucherov, right, raises his stick after tying the game against Switzerland on a power play with less than two minutes left in regulation of their quarterfinal match.
Nathan Denettem AP

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Since the WJC is viewed a showcase of the world's best NHL prospects, Gibson has clearly established himself as premium prospect.

"He's the definition of the backbone of this team," said Jones, who had seven points and was plus-eight in the tournament. "He led us all the way. ...Even in the 2-1 losses to Canada and Russia, he played his heart out."

The Americans had a one-goal lead going into the third period, and Gibson made a memorable save against Viktor Arvidsson on a wraparound attempt to preserve the lead. Later in the period, he made a big save against Montreal Canadiens prospect Sebastien Collberg.

This was the USA's third medal and the second gold in the past four years at the WJC.

"Our success is a result of the effort of so many people over the course of the last 25 years," said USA Hockey executive director Dave Ogrean. "We now expect it and it's been that way for a while. We're extremely proud of this team, and all of our teams, and we'll continue to work hard to be the best in the world on a consistent basis."

Said Gibson: "We knew what we had. We knew we had four good lines, but we didn't know our scoring would be this spread out. But when your scoring is spread out, it means everyone is contributing."

Fifteen different players scored for the Americans. Grimaldi, who was supposed to be among the team's leading scorers, didn't score until the gold medal game. He scored twice in a span of 2:46 to give the USA a lead it wouldn't surrender. Florida prospect Vince Trocheck added an insurance goal into an empty net.

Grimaldi was demoted to the 13th forward spot against Slovakia, but he had four shots on goal in the gold-medal game.

"Rocco had to face a lot of adversity in this tournament," Jones said. "He had to do a lot of searching inside of himself and the way he came out of it was unbelievable. We could not have won without him."

It wasn't as if Jones guaranteed a gold medal, but this tournament will be remembered for Jones believing in his team when others did not. Canada and Russia were considered the favorites.

"I was chirping at (Jones) a little bit," Grimaldi conceded. "I said, 'What are doing? You don't need to put us in the spotlight right away.' He told me he got led into the question, and he didn't mean like it came out. He was just saying we had a good team."

The Americans had a good team, and coach Phil Housley, a former NHL star defenseman, found a way to make improvements every game. The Americans were the top team defensively, including penalty-killing. Winnipeg Jets draft pick Jacob Trouba, an American alternate captain, was chosen as the tournament's top defenseman.

"He knew who to put out in every situation and who to put together," Gibson said. "He just knew us."